After noticing how uncomfortable the students looked in their business suits and corporate attire, Cario’s mind flashed to Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. The 40-year-old, all-male, contemporary ballet company — featuring men wearing makeup, tutus and wigs while dancing on pointe — was scheduled to perform at the Ferst Center in the coming weeks.

Who better, thought Cario, than performers who’d perfected the art of drag to teach millennials how to transition from uniforms of hoodies and flip-flops into young professionals whose wardrobes reflected their career aspirations.

One year later, a half-day seminar titled Drag 101 was offered in anticipation of Tech’s next career day. Brooklyn-based drag king Goldie Peacock, who has been performing and teaching the fundamentals of “power posing” for over a decade, was invited to lead the workshop.

GA Tech’s

Madison Cario

(Image courtesy

of GA Tech)

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

Goldie Peacock

“As with any performer,” says Cario, “students [preparing for job interviews] are not just putting on a suit. They have to put on a persona and adopt a personality. They must embody the confidence and poise needed to take up space in a room, and engage in conversation.”

The practice of nonartists turning to actors for guidance on how to adapt to unfamiliar situations and settings is not unprecedented.

The late-Margaret Thatcher worked with a tutor at London’s National Theatre to help lower the pitch of her voice after she decided to run for Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. By sounding more authoritative, she hoped to silence opponents who said, “Methinks the lady doth screech too much,” in response to the high, shrill tone that resulted whenever nervous energy strangled her vocal chords. Given the cognitive and emotional effects the voice has on listeners, and Thatcher’s subsequent victory at the polls, it can be argued that her lessons paid off.

The Alliance Theatre has institutionalized a program that teaches business clients how to apply the methodologies and mechanics of the theater to help improve presentation skills in corporate settings. The workshops, called Alliance@Work, are a natural evolution of the Alliance Arts for Learning Institute — a 20-year-old initiative designed to teach theater skills to general classroom educators to help engage students.

“The same skills that make for great acting also make for great presentations,” says Christopher Moses, the Dan Reardon director of education and associate artistic director of the Alliance’s education department. “People crave authenticity and connection, whether you are sitting around a boardroom table or auditioning as an actor. In order to connect with an audience, you must be yourself.”

Of course, being oneself does not come naturally once most people are out of their comfort zone. Stressors like having to impress the boss, making a sales pitch to a reluctant (if not hostile) audience or being required to address large gatherings only add to the tension.

“Most people would rather have [a] root canal than speak publicly, and most actors feel the same way,” says Tinashe Kajese-Bolden, an Alliance@Work coach and professional actress (Disgraced and Blues for an Alabama Sky at the Alliance, and HBO’s The Immortal Life of Henrrietta Lacks). “As kids, we’re fine speaking up without inhibition. But as society starts putting constraints on how we should look and behave, we will go to any length to avoid feeling vulnerable. We would rather have something unpleasant inflicted on us than be judged for making a mistake in public.”

Increasingly, corporations are placing a premium on hiring candidates who are better equipped as communicators, storytellers and collaborators. In other words, people with a high emotional intelligence quotient.

“The skills, which are pejoratively called ‘soft skills,’ are not taught on the job or at university,” says J. Noble, cofounder of Alliance@Work and communications specialist at the Alliance’s education department. “Some people are naturally inclined to be present, empathetic and self-aware, but the majority of us aren’t as much as we should be. And we’re not given opportunities to explore, rehearse and refine those characteristics.”

Borrowing from the actor’s tool box, accountants, scientists and bankers who enroll in classes can learn how to eliminate stage fright by taking deep, controlled breaths. They are encouraged to be mindful of body language, which can convey passivity and anxiety, or project self-confidence and what’s known as “executive presence.” Simulated group exercises help to highlight the unconscious, default setting participants tend to fall into when collaborating with others.

Atlanta-based companies including Chick-fil-A, Home Depot and TalentQuest have ongoing relationships with Alliance@Work — as do national clients like Adobe and Grant Thornton, a global public accounting and advisor services firm based in Chicago which has sent over 1,000 employees to participate in workshops since 2014.

“Soft skills can be the hardest to adapt and master, but they can be a game-changer,” says Julian Malnak, director of Leadership & Talent Management at Grant Thornton. “It used to be all about technical knowledge and prowess in our industry. But what matters is how people show up, their distinctive brand, and how they carry our culture.”

“People just want to see the truth,” says Kajese-Bolden. “Despite the onslaught of reality TV and social media profiles [which tend to be more grounded in fiction than fact], people can see past anything that is false, fake or put on.”

For Noble, a former director, mining the principles of authenticity, empathy and connection as an Alliance@Work coach is indistinguishable from his work with actors. “In both cases, the work is transformational,” he says. “I feel like I’m fulfilling the Alliance’s mission of expanding the hearts and minds of people on and off the stage — giving them new ways to think [thereby] making their lives, and the lives of their team’s and family’s, better in the process.”

*This article, written by Gail O’Neill, originally appeared on ArtsATL. Link to the original article is here and appears with permission from Executive Editor Laura Relyea.

iPic Entertainment, manager of movie theaters, restaurants, bars, and bowling alleys that exist to make a difference in people’s lives by delivering innovative hospitality and memorable experiences, has infused visual art (installations and gallery-style hangings) into the customer experience. Watch the iPic Life video above featuring Li-Hill about how he develops his work that is currently featured at the iPic Fulton Market New York location. More on iPic Life artists can be found here.

Video: iPic Theaters

New Beginnings Barber Shop has combined fine art with the art of barbering. This barber shop is also a gallery where an impressive collection of African-American art, as well as new installations by local and national artists can be found. Hear from owner Troy Staton and see more photos from this unique shop in Baltimore here.

Photo: Andre Chung for NBC News

Steve Conine, CEO of online home furnishings store Wayfair, spends his downtime ice sculpting. Though his daily corporate role primarily involves software, he does acknowledge the valuable result of his creative activity, “It helps me prioritize and take calculated risks. When I’m carving slippery ice, my ability to manage risk is critical."

Excerpted from BuzzFeed’s February 23, 2016 article by Maritsa Patrinos, here are 14 ways doing theater as a kid can help you as an adult. You can learn more about how theater helps cultivate these skills by reading the full article on BuzzFeed.

14 Ways Doing Theater As A Kid Can Help You As An Adult
1. It improves your public speaking skills.
2. You learn the value of teamwork.
3. It teaches you empathy.
4. You become a master of stress management.
5. You’ll gain confidence.
6. But you’ll also learn some humility.
7. It teaches you how to deal with rejection.
8. You’ll know how to work on a deadline.
9. It is a surefire way of gaining reading skills.
10. You’ll gain a higher appreciation of the written (and spoken) word.
11. It makes you more charismatic.
12. Your memorization skills will be on point.
13. It gets you in the habit of staying physically active.
14. It teaches you some real-world professionalism.

Photo courtesy of Trust Company of Kansas. Photo by Christopher Clark.

The average American is exposed to thousands of brand messages each day, from traditional advertising to product packaging in supermarkets. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by information overload. So how can businesses cut through the clutter to convey important messages to customers, employees, and other stakeholders? Many businesses turn to the arts to help communicate strategic messages in a catchy, memorable, and accessible way.

“We wanted to communicate a strategic message that aligned with the idea of bringing people together—whether to share a cup of coffee or to make the world a better place,”
said Karen Yacos, former Director of Enterprise Domestic Community Outreach at Green Mountain Coffee.

Arts partnerships also help Kaiser Permanente—a California-based, nonprofit health plan that serves more than 10 million members from Hawaii to the East Coast—go beyond protecting the health of its members to bolster the health of entire communities in which it operates. The company's Educational Theatre Program models positive behaviors and healthy decision-making through the medium of theater.

Americans for the Arts Board Member Floyd W. Green III is best known as the Corporate Vice President and Head of Community Relations and Urban Marketing at Aetna. He has, however, spent time out of the corporate office and on the stage. From German cabarets and Atlantic City nightclubs, to Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Green immerses himself in the many facets of theater.

A recent article by Forefront Magazine interviews Green about how he’s used lessons from the theater world to enhance his skills as a business leader and manager. He says, “It’s like a ‘Night at the Improv.’ You’re in the moment when you’re in a sales call or meeting. It’s all in real time, and it’s just like doing improvisation. If you’re not present in the moment, you will not be genuine or authentic.”

Rosie’s Theater Kids (RTKids) was given a rare opportunity to advertise in Condé Nast publications at no cost to the organization. RTKids had a chance to take full-page, color advertisements in some of the most-read publications in US, but had no marketing team to strategize placement, or copywriter and designer to create the ad. They needed to submit the advertisement within two weeks.

This was the quick, first project I was given as a new participant in the Arts & Business Council of New York’s Business Volunteers for the Arts® program. As a consultant in the areas of communications and business development for clients in the arts, this was fun and very familiar territory.

Increasingly, donors are more willing and able to give in-kind contributions (non-cash donations of good or services). According to an annual report created by CECP in association with The Conference Board entitled Giving in Numbers: 2013 Edition the “direct cash donations dominated at 47% of total giving in 2012, non-cash contributions have been growing at a faster rate of 10% or more in each year since 2008.” This means that organizations, like RTKids, sometimes receive a donation that does not directly support their bottom line as a monetary contribution would.

In my initial meeting with RTKids, many questions came up about how to maximize this special opportunity. What was the best message for the ad? How could RTKids summarize the organization’s mission in a way that would grab attention and drive home the impact of their work? How could RTKids get the ad in front of potential supporters? And lastly, but perhaps most importantly, would they encourage donations by advertising this way?As a consultant working with organizations that straddle the digital and print marketing divide, I can confirm that it is difficult for non-profits to measure the impact of traditional print methods of advertising, let alone use them to secure donations. In some cases, it can cost an organization more to take advantage of this kind of opportunity than it is demonstrably worth. It might have been costly for RTKids to utilize (strategize, write, design) the donated ad pages without help from the Business Volunteers for the Arts™ program.

However, clear, consistent and persistent reiteration of a non-profit’s brand and mission is valuable to the overall health of the organization. Every little bit helps when it comes to reinforcing the perception of your organization and its core values which are in turn the essential attractor for potential donors.

1) DO consider potential benefits of a non-cash donation (goods and/or services) in light of the resources required to reap those benefits. DON’T forget to factor in the volunteer help you can get from your passionate community. Consider how a project such as the one described above can become an opportunity to establish a deeper relationship with a member of your constituency that possesses specific expertise.

2) Seek help from a variety of sources. If you have a project you need help with, get the word out to your supporters, volunteers and community. As they say, you never know who may know someone who can help…

3) Get the word out early. If you are seeking volunteer help, consider that many skilled helpers will be more likely to contribute if they can balance the project with their other commitments.

4) If the project is simple and on a short time-line, take advantage of the many online volunteer matching services. Posting your projects to these online platforms can be a great way to reach supporters who are passionate about your cause but may not have heard of your organization.

5) Sign your organization up to work with volunteers from the Arts & Business Council of New York’s wonderful Business Volunteers for the Arts™ program!

If you have specific questions about how your organization can implement these tips, feel free to contact me!

(This post is one in a weekly series highlighting The pARTnership Movement, Americans for the Arts’ campaign to reach business leaders with the message that partnering with the arts can build their competitive advantage.)

Today I’m writing from my desk in Brooklyn, as the founder and artistic director of Theatre of the Oppressed NYC (TONYC). TONYC, 2+ years old and growing, partners with local communities including homeless adults, immigrants and LGBTQ homeless youth to create and tour original plays inspired by real‐life struggles. Our interactive performances engage audiences in creative problem‐solving and transformative action.

Back in the summer of 2010, I was working as a freelance teaching artist. One of my employers, a girls leadership initiative, was funded in part by Eileen Fisher, the women’s clothing company. All I knew then about EF was that zen-looking women wore flowy clothes in the NY Times ads that my mother and I had always admired. Then I got a call asking if I’d come up to Westchester, where EF’s headquarters are located. The EF Community Foundation had heard that the Theatre of the Oppressed course was very popular down in the city, and invited me to teach in their pilot Leadership Institute, modeled after the same program they funded in NYC. I immediately noticed a special vibe; the first day I walked into the EF headquarters, the janitor whispered to me: “I love working here: shhh, don’t tell anyone.”

I was excited about the work Eileen was doing around girls’ and women’s leadership (being an emerging leader myself, as well as a young woman). The company was similarly excited by the Theatre of the Oppressed methodology I brought, and how it connected the young women to each other and to their communities, through identifying and transforming collective challenges. At the performance I facilitated that summer, Eileen spoke about the importance of investing in the confidence and creativity of young women, sparked by the challenges she faced when starting the company 30 years before. I didn’t know yet that I’d soon be running a growing arts-and-social-justice nonprofit, and that I would sometimes struggle to find my own confidence as a young, female leader.

A few months later I was directing NYC’s first homeless forum theatre troupe in its inaugural performance, “It Could Happen to You,” in a shelter on the Upper East Side, and I invited the EF staff. That fall, I wrote a proposal and received a grant from EF’s Community Partnership program for my little fiscally-sponsored project. At that point, an ongoing relationship began in which I continued to facilitate and advise for their summer Leadership Institute, and the Foundation became a steady supporter of TONYC, which was born that same winter. The early support from EF tells part of the story of how our organization came to exist.

The partnership continued to grow in late 2011, when Antoinette Klatzky, the Foundation’s program director, joined the Board. There have been some surprises: a high-schooler from the summer program, Aliyah Hakim, fell in love with our work and interned with TONYC in 2012. Aliyah’s excitement inspired the Foundation to pilot a “Gap Year Fellowship” for young women to work on a social justice project and earn a substantial stipend; we were the first organization to receive a fellow, and Aliyah’s work was integral in our spring 2013 LGBTQ Homeless Youth Forum Theatre Festival. Other young women from the Leadership Institute, as well as staff, have become regular audience members and volunteers at our events.

In Theatre of the Oppressed NYC’s mission, arts and social justice carry equal weight. It’s incredibly important that any business we’re partnering with demonstrates a strong sense of ethics and social consciousness in all of its practices. I believe that both organizations have learned from each other over the past two years, and I have appreciated the opportunity to witness, from the inside, responsible business practices and effective women leaders.

Next week, on Tues, Oct 22nd, we’ll hold our 2nd annual ACTIVATE benefit event (tickets still available!), raising funds for our 2014 programs while growing our community and celebrating our actors and partners. We’re very happy that the Eileen Fisher Community Foundation is making a gift in honor of the event and challenging our supporters to match it, and that many of their staff and community will be there to celebrate with us.

(This post is one in a weekly series highlighting The pARTnership Movement, Americans for the Arts’ campaign to reach business leaders with the message that partnering with the arts can build their competitive advantage.)

“Yes, Virginia The Musical” debuted last year, performed by elementary and middle schools nationwide. This year, Macy’s will provide $1,000 grants to 100 eligible schools on a first-come basis and will also provide the script and score royalty-free, all in support of the arts and music education. Grant funds will be used to purchase costumes, set materials, sound, lighting and other theatrical equipment.

"Yes, Virginia The Musical" was inspired by the true story of 8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon, who wrote a letter to the New York Sun newspaper in 1897, to ask about the existence of Santa Claus. The Sun's editor responded with a poignantly-worded essay that became one of the most famous newspaper editorials of all time. The editorial provided the inspriation for Macy’s Believe campaign, which supports Make-A-Wish® by donating $1, up to $1 million, for every letter to Santa received. The proceeds help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

"We couldn't have imagined the amazing impact 'Yes, Virginia The Musical' would have on local school communities when we introduced the program last year," said Martine Reardon, chief marketing officer for Macy's. "The warm response was overwhelming—with so many participating schools sharing that the royalty-free assets and grants helped them to stage productions they may not otherwise have been able to produce, giving students a meaningful opportunity to engage in theatre arts and experience the excitement and fun of being in a school play. Macy's is proud to offer 'Yes, Virginia The Musical' again this year, and we look forward to another season of magical performances."

Many past producing schools used the performance as a platform for Macy’s Believe campaign, encouraging students and audiences to write letters to Santa. With their help, Macy's reached its goal of collecting 1 million letters.

Learn more about Macy’s “Yes Virginia, The Musical”, including how you can download the script and score royalty-free, at YesVirginiaMusical.com, and view the musical trailer below.

Associate Professor of Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Dr. Steven Taylor, has received a Fulbright Award to contribute his expertise in what he has coined as “organizational aesthetics,” by helping Massey University in New Zealand use organizational theatre to better connect with the local business community and impact the community at large.

Since July 10 and extending through the 13th of August, Taylor is helping Massey University develop collaborative and interdisciplinary activities that will touch on topics of authentic leadership, ethical practice, and art and craft of organizational design, which all fall into Taylor’s larger topic of organizational aesthetics.

According to Organizational Aesthetics, the online, open-source journal, of which Taylor is editor-in-chief, “Organizational Aesthetics is about how the five senses and artistry inform business, non-profit, and government organizations...Examples are the use of arts-based methods in organizations, theoretical accounts of aesthetic phenomena in organizations such as beautiful (or grotesque) leadership, and the art about/in/behind organizations.”

Taylor will hold a performance of his play “The Invisible Foot,” which combines themes of art and market economy for members of the Auckland business community and the University community to engage a dialogue on the use of theatre within organizations.

In addition to the performance, Dr. Taylor will also aid in the development of a new play based on a Massey doctoral student’s PhD research data about bullying in an organization, as well as hold theatre-based workshops based on status and what the implications of playing status are for leaders.

Visit Organizational Aesthetics to read more about the fascinating work of Dr. Steven Taylor. To learn how you can join individuals like Dr. Taylor and organizations across the country, making the case for arts-based training and creating new and innovative programs to work with businesses, download our tool-kit "Bringing the Arts into the Workplace."

“We have a euphoria inhibitor in Stage 2 trials,” explained the drug company executive to the bio-tech venture capitalist.

I paused. I told him that we in theatre seek euphoria wherever we can find it. He laughed and explained that euphoria inhibitors help keep strong pain medication from becoming addictive. The venture capitalist leaned in to hear more and I went to the buffet for another sandwich.

Driven by the combination of Yale Medical School and other Yale University researchers, the proximity to the Boston research corridor, the Tri-state pharmaceutical industry, and the catalytic qualities of Long Wharf trustee David Scheer, the conference capitalizes on Long Wharf’s unique location in New Haven, CT.

The idea came from David’s desire to do more for Long Wharf Theatre. It played to his strengths, and as I’ll explain later, those of Long Wharf as well.

In past years, the conference has focused on cancer, addiction, mental health, and Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a serious medical conference that is convened in and uses theatre to enliven and engage researchers and businesspeople alike.

Stephen J. Linell, a scientist with The Jackson Laboratory said, “The synergy that comes from combining arts and various perspectives on the impact of illness and disease helps put into context the work scientists are performing. It also inspires creative thought about ways to approach the problem.”

Global Health and the Arts demonstrates how crucial a theatre can be in addressing complex technical and social issues, especially when they intertwine.

As Long Wharf Director of Development Eileen Condon Wiseman, a key player in the convening said, “What we hear from the participants is how enlightening the experience is, and how different it is from traditional medical conferences. They find the theatrical presentations so illuminating and powerful because they breathe life and humanity into the scientific and academic conversations.”

Long Wharf Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein plays a critical part in integrating theatre into the day-long conference, which concludes with a performance of a topical play on a Long Wharf stage. His keynotes are highly regarded by participants in encouraging out of the box thinking on their part; and for theatre people, they underscore the potential of our medium to engage our audience at every level. (Editor’s Note: Read Edelstein’s remarks here.)

Throughout the day, scientists, researchers, and bio-tech executives repeatedly referred to Gordon’s remarks and the theatrical interludes which included performances of brief scenes that highlight the social ramifications of the topic of the day.

The challenges in the theatre world in addressing obesity underscore one of the most unsettling public health issues of the day: the continuing social acceptability of prejudice against the obese despite mounting evidence that industrial and scientific causes underlie this rapidly growing disease.

The complexity of this problem, and its scale—two-thirds of the American public is overweight or obese—require a multi-dimensional approach to the solution. Topics covered included public engagement strategies, developments in cellular and molecular science, industry trends and challenges, the regulatory outlook, and assessments of the pace of innovation and how it can be improved and financed.

The day concluded with January Joiner, a world premiere horror comedy by Laura Jacqmin, directed by Long Wharf associate artistic director Eric Ting.

“New Haven is becoming a quintessential 21st century, with an economy anchored in higher education, the life sciences, and the arts,” explained Long Wharf Managing Director Joshua Borenstein. “Our Global Health and the Arts event allows Long Wharf to demonstrate the benefit when all three sectors intersect to explore a critical issue. The diversity of perspectives elevates the level of discourse, and the day is a memorable and exciting one for everyone who participates.”

What first brought this to my attention was its success as a sponsorship vehicle. Companies pay to be here, and it is a real shot in the arm for the theatre. But attending it in person, it demonstrates so much more: that theatre can do more than explore our challenges as a society, it can actively engage in finding solutions. And the more complex the problem, the more suitable is theatre as a venue for the work of fixing it because theatre is itself so multi-dimensional.

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